By Ken Casellas

A groundswell of optimism has been the most heartening feature of Claremont’s pre-season, pre-Christmas training and club members should be able to look forward with confidence to the 2010 season.

By Chris Pike

A YOUTHFUL coaching staff, returns of some star players and a fresh approach has Claremont coach Simon McPhee excited about what lies ahead in his first full season in charge at Tigerland.

McPhee took over the job from Roger Kerr after Claremont lost the first five games of the 2009 season and came up from the colts to do it, and immediately created a great rapport with the league players and helped them to win seven from the last 15 games of the season.

The club then appointed him to carry on the role in 2010 and he has moved quickly to pull together a top-notch coaching group to help him and has an exciting, young playing squad that he is developing.

By Chris Pike

RETIRED Swan Districts great Adam Lange wasn’t sure what his post-football career held, but when Claremont offered a coaching role he felt he better strike when the iron was hot.

Lange finished up his 213-game senior football career that saw him play in the WAFL, VFL, SANFL and AFL, and for Western Australia, after Swan Districts lost the 2009 preliminary final to Subiaco and his initial thoughts were that he would take a year out of football to see what he wanted to do.